Warning Signs
Warning signs alert you to a change ahead; they do not grant right-of-way or set a legal speed limit unless a regulatory sign does. NJ test items emphasize yellow diamonds, fluorescent yellow-green school signs, orange work-zone signs, and the difference between an advisory speed plaque and a posted limit.
Shape and color cues
- Yellow diamond: general warning - curve, intersection, pedestrian, school, road condition.
- Fluorescent yellow-green pentagon: school zone or school crossing.
- Orange diamond: work zone or temporary condition.
- Circular yellow with an X and RR: railroad ahead; the crossbuck marks the crossing itself.
Reading the message
A curve sign with a 35 MPH plaque gives an advisory speed for good conditions, not the legal maximum. Slow below it in rain, snow, or darkness. A pedestrian or school sign means scan both sides and be ready to stop; in a NJ school zone the limit is 25 mph unless posted otherwise. Work-zone signs may narrow lanes, shift traffic, or put workers next to the travel lane - reduce speed and increase following distance.
Worked example
You see a yellow diamond showing a right curve with a 30 mph advisory plaque. The posted limit is 45 mph. Your legal maximum remains 45, but 30 is the recommended safe speed. On wet pavement you should enter slower than 30, because the advisory assumes dry conditions.
Traps
Obeying the advisory as if it were the limit and then speeding up; ignoring an orange work-zone sign because no workers are visible; and treating a school warning sign as active only during posted hours when children are present.